Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

NHL Draft: Character Counts

June 27, 2014, 10:58 AM ET [3 Comments]
Paul Stewart
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulstewart22

This weekend, the NHL will hold its annual Draft. My congratulations and best wishes go out to all of the drafted players and their families. The road to the NHL is still a long one but the Draft is a big landmark along the way.

To those who aren't drafted, I say keep on plugging because your NHL dreams can still come true. You need to want it more, work harder than more naturally gifted players, play the game the right way and keep believing in yourself. Hopefully, some NHL organization will start to believe in you, too.

I can attest to this from plenty of personal experience. I was never the big star on my teams. I was never drafted by an NHL or WHA team. I was supposedly the last player taken in the WHA dispersal draft (the order of selected players was never made public). Even so, I made a playing career for myself in the WHA and NHL. That is something that many more naturally talented players never did.

I wanted it more. I worked endlessly at self-improvement. I knew my strengths and limitations and embraced what my role would be on a pro team (i.e., an enforcer and secondary checker who wasn't going to see much ice time).

One of the qualities in a player or an official that I cannot emphasize strongly enough is their character. I value that as much -- and sometimes even more -- than God-given talent. When considering the make-up of a roster, I want as many character players as possible and certainly want that in a leadership group.

I don't want this to be taken the wrong way, because I have known him for many years and think he's a likable guy, but I have to say this because it is my heartfelt assessment: For all his natural gifts and stats, Joe Thornton is an example of someone who is NOT a character player. I think his teams' lack of postseason success is partially attributable to having him at the crux of the leadership group.

Thornton, to me, has always lacked that winner's mentality of being driven to success and sacrificing whatever he needs to in order to attain it. He has always been a player who is just as content to go along his merry way. I don't mean that he has to throw things or mope for weeks when his team loses. I mean that he doesn't have that fire in his belly that drives him to push himself even harder to make a tough loss into a motivator to win.

With many players today, there is a different sort of problem than Thornton's. It is not so much a lack of ambition to push to be at one's absolute best but an entitlement attitude that things are owed to him. That belief is fueled by their parents and agents.

The worst thing -- absolute WORST thing -- that ever happened to youth hockey was when the dressing room got opened to parents. Coaches could no longer coach teamwork and fundamentals, and could not prepare players for how things will be when and if they move up the ladder in this game. When the agents start to get involved, it's even worse.

From the time he's been out of diapers, little Jimmy has been told he's above everyone else and he's destined to not only make the NHL but to be a star (being a role player is never good enough). He doesn't have to respect the game. He doesn't have to listen to his coaches. Every penalty he gets called for is a bad one, because the referee is out to get him. He never actually goes offside, because the linesman is incompetent. His production would be higher if only he had better linemates.

It is sad, and it has really hurt our game. This does not represent the majority of young players, but it has still become far too commonplace. Hockey parents, if you really want to help your kid make his way both in hockey and in life, emphasize character development. Teach your kids how to develop both accountability and acceptability, and they will ultimately go much further both on and off the ice.

True story: This past season, I got a phone call from the father of a current NHL player. He looked me up in Russia and said he was calling to "congratulate" me about something bluntly honest that I had publicly put out about about his son.

"Are you being serious or facetious?" I asked.

"Facetious," he said.

"Then you have a nice day, and good luck to you," I said, and promptly hung up.

*********

Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.

Today, Stewart is an officiating and league discipline consultant for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and serves as director of hockey officiating for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.

In addition to his blogs for HockeyBuzz every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Stewart writes a column every Wednesday for the Huffington Post.
Join the Discussion: » 3 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Paul Stewart